Metal structure for railway cars



June 9, 1931.;

E. VAN EN METAL STRUGTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Sept.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 t Irwenior: M19111 E, Kan om June 9, 1931. w. E. VAN DORN 58 5 METAL- STRUCTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Sept. 25. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' Patented June 9, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- WILLIAM VAN norm, on rAsAnnnA, CALIFORNIA, Assrenoa T UNION ivrnraL PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, a conronarion or DELAWARE METAL STRUCTURE FOR, RAILWAY CARS Application filed September 25, 1929. Serial No. 395,032.

My invention relates to the construction of railway cars and more particularly to metal end structures or walls for railway cars made of one ormore metallic plates or panels formed with integral reinforcing, stiffening and bracing corrugations or. embossments. However, this device may be incorporated in the construction of car side walls, floors, roofs, side doors or drop doors used in connection with railway cars of various types.

It is Well known that the end walls of railway cars are more likely-to be broken or otherwise injured thanthe side walls. This is .-due to the inertiathrusts and pressures caused by the shifting of the cargoes When the train starts or stops. These thrusts may .be local, tending to distort thexend in some particular spot, as, for example, when a piece of piping or lumber shifts lengthwise im- 'ze parting a blow against the end wall of the car; or there may be a general tendency to break out the end wall as awhole or tearit away from the framing. For the-purpose, therefore, of greater strength and durability, car ends have been constructed of metal plates corrugated or formed with ribs to impart the desired strength, rigidity and resiliency.-

. One of the principal objects of my inven- "50 tion is to provide a corrugated or embossed metallicend structure for railway cars in which the corrugations or embossments have a configuration andarrangement that impart to the structure a maximum capacity 1 at for resisting cargo thrusts, both local and general, static or quiescent, and with suflicient resiliency to :prevent permanent distortion due to the thrusts of the loads, with a minimum weight of metal. It is important 40 that structures of this sort should be as light as is possible, consistent with strength and durability, both for re'asons'of economy in Y b weight of the car at a mmlmum.

manufacturin cost and also to keep the '4 A further ob ect 1s-to provide. a corrugated metallic wall element that is practically possible to manufacture. A further object is to provide a metallic wall-element with corrugations or embossments that resist to a great- 5 er degree torsionalstresses, as :well as, brace the element,- and the car end against diagonal side thrusts or weaving, Another object is to form a metallic plate with integral corrugations or ribs which impart to it a certain amount of strength and rigidity to resist loads imposed thereo-na'nd to so form the ends of the corrugations or ribs as to provide a certain amount of resiliency to enable the plate to deflect and return to its normal position without appreciable amount of permanentdisto-rtion. 1

My construction is an improvement over the arrangement of embossments shown in Patent No. 1,638,172 of August 9, 1927, bei cause when the lengths of the center lines of the metal of the cross sections at the middles and adjacent the end portions of theembossments are equal to each other, the width and depth of the end portions is dependent upon the width and depth of the middles of the em? bossments and vice versa. In my arrange ment, however, assuming the width and/or depth of the mid-dies to be the same as the middles of the embossments of the Small I Patent No. 1,681,811 then the width and/or depth of the endportions of my embossmen-ts can be made deeper and/or wider than is possible the Small arrangement without increasing the lengths of the center linesof the cross sections of the metal. This means without increasing the stretch of the metal. I h ile the corrugations are shown pressed outwardly, and in horizontalarrangement, it is understoodjthat the corrugationsor embossments may be pressed inwardly or pa'r- F ig; 4 is a section on line 4-4: of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail of a plate formed according to my invention.

Fig. 6 is a section on line 66 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a section on line 88 of Fig. 5. Fig. 9 is a section on line 99 of Fig. 5.

The metallic plate is formed with a plurality of substantially parallel embossments or corrugations of substantially the same length which preferably terminate within the plate or adjacent the stiffener or frame member to which the plate is secured. These embossments are preferably substantially equal in width adjacent their middle and spaced apart distances substantially equal to their width and are preferably of equal depth so as to provide a configuration which is symmetrical in cross section about a line midway between the outermost portions of the em bossments. (See Fig. 6.) In a steel plate sucha configuration provides the maximum strength for the amount of material used. This cross section is preferably sinuous, as shown in'Fig. 6, to provide resiliency as well as strength.

The alternate embossments 2 have their opposite ends divided to form a greater number of portions 3, which portions are preferably shallower than the middle 4 of the embossment and are substantially equal in width and spaced apart distances substantially equal to their width.

The embossments 5 between the aforesaid alternate embossments are not so divided and decrease in width from their middle toward their opposite ends to form narrower parts 6, which parts are preferably shallower and substantially equal in width to the above mentioned portions 3 of the divided embossments 2 and also preferably substantially equal in depth thereto. The distances between the said parts of the tapered embossments 5 and the adjacent portions 8 of the divided embossments 6*are substantially equal to the widths, respectively, of such parts and portions. This arrangement provides a config uration symmetrical in cross section about a line midway between the outermost surfaces of the parts and portions. This configuration is shown in Fig. l. The parts 6 and portions 3 are preferably formed on curves to provide a sinuous configuration to give resiliency as well as strength.

The embossments are preferably of constant width and depth for a predetermined cross section of the embossments adjacent their middle (as shown in Fig. 6) is substantially the same as the length of the center line of the metal of a cross section through the end portions 3 of the divided embossments 2 and the end parts 6 of the undivided embossments 5 (as shown in Fig. 7 This is a material manufacturing advantage, as it more evenly distributes the draw and stretch of the metal due to pressing the embossments in the plate.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown my reinforced plate applied as the end wall of a railway box car, wherein the usual parts of the car are shown, such as draft sill 10; striking casting 11; end sill 12; end plate 13; roof 14L; corner post 15; lining 16 and nailing strips 17.

In Figs. 3 and 4 the reinforced plate is used as an end wall of a gondola car wherein the reinforced plate is provided with a vertical flange 20 secured to the steel side wall 21 of the car and the upper edge of the plate is attached to the top chord 22. I

In Figs. 5 to 9 inclusive the plate is shown in detail.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is notand the embossments between said alternate embossments being not so divided.

2. A metallic plate formed with a plurality of substantially parallel equal width embossments of substantially the same length, the alternate embossments having their opposite ends divided to form a greater number of portions and the embossments between said alternate embossments being not so divided.

3. A metallic plate formed with a plurality of substantially parallel equal width embossments of substantially the same length, the alternate embossments having their opposite ends divided to form a greater number of equal width portions and the embossments between said alternate embossments being not so divided.

4. A metallic plate formed with a plurality of substantially parallel equal width embossments of substantially the same length, the alternate embossments having their opposite ends divided to form a greater number of equal width portions and the embossments between said alternate embossments decreasing in width toward their opposite ends to form parts substantially equal in width to said portions.

5. A metallic plate formed with a plurality of substantially parallel equal width embossments of substantially the same length, the alternate embossments having their opposite ends divided to form a greater number of equal width portions and the embossments between said alternate embossments decreasing in width toward their opposite spaced apart distances substantially equal to their width adjacent their middle, the alternate embossments having their opposite ends divided to form a greater number of equal width port-ions spaced apart distances substantially equal totheir width and the embossments between said alternate embossments being not so divided.

7. A metallic plate formed with a plurality of substantially parallel equal width embossments of substantially the same length spaced apart distances substantially equal to their width adjacent their middle, the alternate embossments having their opposite ends divided to form a greater number of equal width portions spaced apart distances substantially equal to their width and the embossments between said alternate embossments decreasing in width toward their oppo site ends to form parts substantially equal in width to said portions with the distance between said parts and the adjacent portions being substantially equal to their width.

8. A metallic plate formed with a plurality of substantially parallel equal width and equal depth embossments of substantially the same length, the alternate embossments having their opposite ends divided to form a greater number of equal width and equal depth portions and the embossments between said alternate embossments being not so divided.

9. A metallic plate formed with a plurality of substantially parallel equal width and equal depth embossments of substantially the same length, the alternate embossments having their opposite ends divided to form a greater number of equal width and equal depth shallower portions and the embossments between said alternate embossments decreasing in width and depth toward their opposite ends to form shallower parts substantially equal in width and depth to said portions.

10. A metallic plate formed with a plurality of substantially parallel equal width and equal depth embossments of substantially the same length, the alternate embossments and the adjacent portions being substantially equal to their width.

11. A metallic plate formed witha plurality of substantially parallel equal width and equal depth embossments of substantially the same length, the alternate embossments having their opposite ends divided to form a greater number of equal width and equal depth shallower portions and the embossments between said alternate embossments decreasing in width and depth toward their opposite ends to form shallower parts substantially equal in width and depth to said portions with the distance between said parts and the adjacent portions being? substantially equal to their width, the length of the center line of the metal of a cross section of the embossments adjacent their middle being substantially the same length as the center line of the metal of a cross section through said portions and said partsthereof.

12. A metallic plate formed with a plurality of substantially parallel embossments of substantially the same length spaced apart distances substantially equal to their width adjacent theirmiddle, the alternate embossments having their 0 posite ends divided to form a greater num er of portions spaced apart distances substantially equal to their width and the embossments between said alternate embossments decreasing in width toward their opposite ends to form parts substantially equal in width to said portions with the distance between said parts and the adjacent portions being substantially equal to their width.

WILLIAM E. VAN DORN. 

